Russians in Germany
Encyclopedia
There is a significant Russian population in Germany. The collapse of the Soviet Union
in 1991 triggered mass immigration to the West, with Germany
being the top destination, mostly for economic and ethnic reasons. Russians are the biggest migrant group in Germany, together with Turks.
, and Russian Jews.
in 2007. Their number is growing.
and modern-day Kazakhstan
and Kyrgyzstan
. Around the collapse of the Soviet Union
, a number of their descendants migrated to Germany as "Aussiedler" (transferred settlers). Today their number stands at about 2,300,000. Germany's right of return
law allows them to obtain citizenship in Germany.
The Aussiedler and their identity have raised many issues. Although they were expected to assimilate rapidly into German society, Aussiedler and their descendants are struggling with their identity, and most consider themselves Russian. In Russia, due to outside pressure, they had become assimilated into Russian society, in most cases speaking Russian as their first or only language, and this has made their return difficult Native Germans typically consider them Russian, just as they consider German-Americans visiting Germany to be American, despite their German surnames.
as well as Russian, picked up the German language easily.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1991 triggered mass immigration to the West, with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
being the top destination, mostly for economic and ethnic reasons. Russians are the biggest migrant group in Germany, together with Turks.
Ethnic background
There are about 3,500,000 native Russian speakers in Germany, split largely into three ethnic groups: ethnic Russians, Russians descended from German immigrantsHistory of Germans in Russia and the Soviet Union
The German minority in Russia and the Soviet Union was created from several sources and in several waves. The 1914 census puts the number of Germans living in Russian Empire at 2,416,290. In 1989, the German population of the Soviet Union was roughly 2 million. In the 2002 Russian census, 597,212...
, and Russian Jews.
Ethnic Russians
560,178 people in Germany were categorized as ethnic RussiansRussians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
in 2007. Their number is growing.
Aussiedler from Russia
Earlier in history, particularly during the 17th century, a number of Germans migrated to RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and modern-day Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
and Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
. Around the collapse of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, a number of their descendants migrated to Germany as "Aussiedler" (transferred settlers). Today their number stands at about 2,300,000. Germany's right of return
Right of return
The term right of return refers to a principle of international law, codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, giving any person the right to return to, and re-enter, his or her country of origin...
law allows them to obtain citizenship in Germany.
The Aussiedler and their identity have raised many issues. Although they were expected to assimilate rapidly into German society, Aussiedler and their descendants are struggling with their identity, and most consider themselves Russian. In Russia, due to outside pressure, they had become assimilated into Russian society, in most cases speaking Russian as their first or only language, and this has made their return difficult Native Germans typically consider them Russian, just as they consider German-Americans visiting Germany to be American, despite their German surnames.
Russian Jews
The number of Russian Jews in Germany is about 228,000. Many, speaking YiddishYiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
as well as Russian, picked up the German language easily.